January 2020
A Newsletter for Legislative and Business Communities
University of Maryland Named a Top Producer of Minority Graduates for 2019
The University of Maryland has been named a Top 100 Minority Degree Producer by Diverse: Issues in Higher Education for 2019. In the only national reporting of its kind, UMD is listed as the No. 1 college in the state for conferring doctoral and master’s degrees to minority students in addition to landing in the top 25 for bachelor’s degrees.
How an Exec at Amazon Prime Became a Quantum Computing Pioneer at IonQ
Chapman and Chris Monroe, a physicist at the University of Maryland who co-founded IonQ in 2015 and now serves as the company’s chief scientist, said that very boringness could give them an edge over bigger companies like Google and IBM.
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UMD Geosciences Ranked #4 among U.S. Public Universities, #9 among all U.S. Universities and #12 in the World
The University of Maryland, College Park ranked 12th in the world, 4th among all U.S. public universities, and 9th among all U.S. universities. For full ranking information, click here.
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Highlights
Balance of MPower: Research powerhouses on their own, the University of Maryland, Baltimore and the University of Maryland, College Park have a combined effect that’s greater still, tackling pressing health issues, growing innovative startups and technologies, and accelerating the education of the next generation of Marylanders.
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Design Unveiled for the University of Maryland’s School of Public Policy Building: The four-story building brings together the School’s more than 90 faculty members and over 1,000 undergraduate and graduate students and serves as the headquarters for the Do Good Institute, a campus-wide hub for social innovation, philanthropy, and nonprofit leadership.
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UMD Celebrates 2019 Winter Graduates, Bestows Honorary Degree: The commencement addressed by General James R. Clapper ‘63, awarded 2,503 bachelor's degrees, 1,564 master's degrees, 616 doctoral degrees from programs across the university, and V. Mike Miller Jr. ’64, the longest serving senate president in U.S. history, also received an honorary doctorate of public service.
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University of Maryland Named “Best Venue” by Unique Venues: For the fourth consecutive year, the University of Maryland was named the “Best Venue for Youth Retreats & Camps” by Unique Venues. The University of Maryland was also named a Runner-Up in the highly competitive "Best Venue for Weddings" category, owing to the triple threat of the Memorial Chapel, Adele H. Stamp Student Union - Center for Campus Life, and the Samuel Riggs IV Alumni Center.
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Board of Regents OKs New Major at UMD Focused on Virtual Reality Design: The program will be the first major in the University System of Maryland — and one of the first in the country — to blend computer science and the creative arts. In the coming months, the program will face its last hurdle to approval when it comes before the Maryland Higher Education Commission.
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UMD Geosciences Ranked #12 in the World, #4 Among U.S. Public Universities, and #9 Among all U.S. Universities: The University of Maryland, College Park ranked 12th in the world, 4th among all U.S. public universities, and 9th among all U.S. universities.
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UMD Undergraduate Criminology Ranked #5 in U.S.: As one of the best undergraduate criminology programs, pupils in this course get to learn about violence and formulate an opinion about reducing it. Additionally, students learn about other issues that plague the country.
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The Hall CP Opens in the University of Maryland’s Discovery District: Located in the heart of the University of Maryland Discovery District, new arts and entertainment venue,The Hall CP is the next big thing to hit the Discovery District, alongside the Capitol One Tech Incubator and WeWork. The Discovery District is part of the university’s Greater College Park initiative.
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Research Impact
UMD Researchers Receive $1M Spencer Award to Investigate Disparities in Resources for Children: University of Maryland researchers, supported by a $1 million award from the Spencer Foundation, will investigate inequality in public and private investments in children from different backgrounds, and recommend interventions to reduce racial and socioeconomic achievement gaps and improve outcomes for underserved youth.
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Two University of Maryland Engineers Named 2019 Fellows of the National Academy of Inventors: University of Maryland Professors Ray Liu and Min Wu in the A. James Clark School of Engineering’s Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering have been named 2019 Fellows by the National Academy of Inventors, joining the ranks of some of the nation’s most prestigious and creative academic inventors.
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Flying Dog Brews with UMD Grown Hops: For the last four years, Flying Dog has been working with the University of Maryland School of Agriculture on research that may lay the groundwork for a commercially viable hop that would grow well in Maryland’s climate. The school and brewery hope to identify best practices for growing and harvesting hops in the mid-Atlantic state.
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A UMD Student’s Research Yielded 500 Pounds of Beans — and a Hefty Gift to Dining Services: As a result of her master’s research project in the spring of 2018 to test plant yields from different soil qualities, Dana Rushivich donated 500 pounds of beans to Dining Services, leading to the first dining hall meals made with food grown in a student research project.
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Alumni Spotlight
UMD Alums Honored in Forbes' 2020 "30 Under 30" List: Three University of Maryland alumni were recognized by Forbes Magazine on their 2020 “30 Under 30” list, which highlights “600 young entrepreneurs, risk-takers and game changers who are redefining what it means to innovate and lead by example,” according to Forbes.
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Sunny Outlook for New Broadcast Meteorology Class: The instructor, Emmy award-winning meteorologist Somara Theodore, is a new adjunct lecturer at the University of Maryland, teaching the College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences’ first broadcast meteorology course.
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How an Alum Created the Look of Some of Your Favorite Pixar Stars: Through UMD’s Individual Studies Program, Bob Moyer ‘00 pieced together an education that combined computer science, visual arts and “other odds and ends” to move him toward his goal. For a list of modern-day classics he’s worked on click below.
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